


The Art of Falling

by MichLC



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-07 05:31:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1886841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichLC/pseuds/MichLC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A step by step guide to how they fell for one another</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Meeting

"Felicity Smoak? Hi, I'm Oliver Queen."

"Of course. I know who you are. You're Mr. Queen."

"No. Mr. Queen was my father."

"Right, but he's dead. I mean he drowned, and you didn't, which is why you can come down here and listen to me babble, which will end in 3...2...1."

That's how it started. A look. A cock of the head. A smile.

She knows who he is. She notices his smile, his voice and his body. He's gorgeous. She can't trust him. His good looks and playboy reputation make him untrustworthy.

He notices her. He takes in her smile, her voice and her quirkiness. She's sweet. He knows he can trust her. He did his research on her before asking for her help.

He hands her a laptop riddled with bullet holes. His coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood? Yeah right, but if that's his story, who was she to judge. He's the owner of the company. So she'll help him because she has to, but she remains skeptical.

He studies her reaction to the bullet holes. He knows she doesn't believe him, but he's taking a chance.

She helps him and he's appreciative.

Over the next few weeks, he enlists her help in various unusual situations; researching an arrow, deciphering an encryption on a flash drive and analyzing the sample of an "energy drink" from a syringe. Could their professional relationship get any more bizarre?

His charm is starting to grow on her. She begins to look forward to him asking her for help. She likes him. He's funny and cute. His bodyguard is really nice to her and always seem to be with him; even though she's pretty sure Oliver could take care of himself. Things are starting to add up in her mind but she's unsure as to what conclusion. She's pretty sure he's more than just a billionaire playboy who was marooned on an island for five years.

Her quirkiness is starting to grow on him. He finds himself looking forward to her babbling and when it comes, he smiles and laughs. He realizes she's the first person to illicit a genuine smile from him since his return home. He continues to utilize her smarts and skills. She's brilliant and never ceases to amaze him. He trusts her more and more. He's unsure at how far that trust should go. 

He's realizing more and more that if he is going to save his city that he will need the help of more than just his bow and arrows and his trusty bodyguard.


	2. Unconditional Friendship

Felicity is upset.  Mr. Steele has gone missing and she's unsure what to do.  She has a sneaking suspicion his disappearance has something to do with the small, leather-bound book he gave her.  

A few weeks have passed, she decides to contact Oliver Queen this time.  She doesn't want to go to his house.  So she asks him to meet her at the local burger joint.  He's there and he smiles at her.  He tries to charm her, but she's not buying it.  She needs to trust him now. 

"Can I trust you?"

He looks at her in confusion.

"I'm not an idiot.  You've dropped some fairly ridiculous lies on me, but yet I still feel I can trust you.  Why is that?"

He cocks his head and grins.  "I have one of those faces."

Her smile fades.  The charm isn't working.  His face turns serious and he says "you can trust me."

She hands hands him the book and doesn't miss the fact that he recognizes it, even though he says he doesn't.  She believes this book cost Mr. Steele his life and tells Oliver just as much.  He keeps the book and tells her he'll look into it quietly.

The following week, she leaves the office late.  She's tired and settles into the driver's seat of her car when a noise in the back startles her.  It's the vigilante and he knows her name.  She's only mildly stunned to find out it's Oliver Queen.

He asks her to take him to his bodyguard at the closed steel factory and she does so against her better judgment.  She and Mr. Diggle spend almost the entire night keeping him alive.  When he awakens, he's grateful.  She uses his gratefulness to move forward on the mysterious disappearance of Walter Steele.  He agrees to work with her.

Over the course of the next few months, they work together on various missions.  She never questions his actions, well except when he refused to patch things up with Diggle, but eventually they form a strong bond of friendship.  He trusts her judgment and she believes in his cause.  He puts up with her babbling and she attends to his injuries.  He continues to take chances and she challenges him to think things through before jumping in.

Then the Undertaking happens.  He wants her safe.  She wants to stay and help.  He feels confident he can stop it from happening.  He's wrong.

Many people died in the Glades, Oliver's mother is arrested, Tommy dies saving Laurel and Oliver can't handle it anymore.  He runs away and Felicity and Diggle spend months trying to find him, only to discover he ran to the one place they never thought he would return to...Lian Yu.

Diggle and Felicity arrive on the island via jumping out of an airplane.  They push Oliver to return as only true friends would.  He has responsibilities to many, including himself.  They fill him in on what's happened.  He knows they're right.  He can't hide forever.


	3. Unrecognizable Feelings

Exasperation can only describe what he feels.

"I quit!"  Felicity said in her loud voice.

"No you don't," Oliver said.

"Yes, I do.  Not my old job in the IT department by my new job as your Executive Assistant, which you think I am going to accept.  Your thinking could not be more wrong in this matter," Felicity said.

"I need a girl Wednesday," Oliver says with exasperation.

"It's...Friday, and the answer is NO!"  Felicity says.

After their encounter, Oliver huffs and then secretly smiles to himself.

>>\------------>

Jealousy?  No way.  Can he really be that stupid?  He slept with Isabel.  How could he?  Ugh!  He makes her crazy.  Her heart sank as she walked away from his hotel room door.  This can't be happening.

Getting back to Starling City safe and sound with one additional passenger, Felicity needs to know.  "Why her?  I mean besides the obvious, leggy model reason."

"It just kind of happened.  It didn't mean anything," he replied.  Why did he suddenly feel incredibly guilty?  She lowers her eyes in sadness.  "Hey, because of the life I lead, I just think it's better to not be with someone that I can really care about."

Felicity starts to walk away from him, turns back and says "well, I think...I think you deserve better than her."  As she makes her way to Isabel's office to drop off the paperwork Oliver left for her, she can't help but wonder if she'll ever get over this stupid crush she has on Oliver.  Seeing him with other women is causing her to feel things that she just does not want to acknowledge.

>>\------------>

He's jealous.  Of course he is.  Team Arrow needs her head in the game and not on some kid.  How could she possibly want to be with that kid?  Because that is what he is; a kid.  Sure, Barry saved his life and all, but he is not good enough for his Felicity.  Wait, did he just refer to her as "his Felicity?"  He must be losing it.  He needs to call her out on it.  Especially if she's going to almost get him killed by a bus.

Storming into the Foundry, he asks her, "what happened?"

"He's using cellular technology to detonate his bombs.  Clearly his expertise extend to obscuring that signal," she responds softly.

"Felicity, your expertise are supposed to trump his," Oliver snaps.

"Excuse me?"  She says.

"People are dying.  So I would like you to get your head out of Central City and get back in the game," he snaps.

"Sure, as soon as you get yours out of your ass," she sneers.

"Excuse me?"  Oliver asks, momentarily stunned by her cursing.

"Alright, maybe we should just take a breath here," Diggle intervenes.

"No wait.  I want to know.  What exactly was that crack about Central City meant to imply?"  Felicity asked, her voice slightly cracking.

"When the first bomb went off, you weren't here.  When the second bomb went off, you send me the wrong way," he said.

"After you didn't catch him in the first place!"  She snapped.

"Don't blame me because you didn't have it tonight," he sneered.  Oliver suddenly felt very guilty but holds her gaze.  He saw her eyes fill with tears.  He feels like an asshole!

"I need some air," she said and walked away.

Diggle kindly reminded Oliver that he didn't have a problem with Felicity's performance until she met Barry Allen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the encouragement. As I rewatch season 2, I'm noticing little things and the ideas are flowing. I hope you enjoy it.


	4. Oliver's Realization

This could be it.  This could be the one time he can't get to her fast enough.  As he listens to the Count's voice in his ear, his heart beats fast.  Rage wells up inside of him.  He can hear Felicity whimpering in the background.  There's no telling what this psycho has already done to her.

Hanging up the phone, he makes haste to exit the courthouse.  His sister shouts behind him, "Where are you going?"

Turning back around he explains something has come up at the office and he turns to leave again.

"Ollie, the...the jury!"  Thea shouts.

"I have to go!"  He shouts back.

Making his way to the Foundry in record time, he quickly hoods up all the while thinking that if he lost her, he would...he's not sure what he would do.  He can't seem to calm his rage.  He remembers that the last time he felt this way was when he first returned home from the island, and he and Tommy were taken by the criminals that he was able to put down.

On his way to the office, he remembers Felicity lying on the ground after getting knocked on the head when the Dollmaker shoved her to the ground. Thankfully he, Diggle and Detective Lance had been close by.  He was afraid for her at that moment, but felt confident he could get to her.  He didn't feel so sure at this moment.

He arrives at the office and makes his way slowly into his executive offices.  When he sees her through the windows of the conference room, he slows his gait.  She looks utterly terrified.  The Count has tied her to the chair with cable ties and is standing behind her as a deliberate shield.  Oliver notices the cable ties digging into Felicity's delicate skin. He stops to stand in front of them about twenty feet away.  The Count taunts him, saying something about swanky offices and the destruction his mother had caused.  Oliver barely hears his words and when the Count puts his hand on Felicity's shoulders, the same shoulders that he places his hands on to comfort her, it takes every ounce of effort to not put an arrow in him right then.  Felicity flinches and briefly closes her eyes.

"What do you want?"  Oliver asked with a sneer.

"World peace and personal satisfaction.  Although not necessarily in that order," the Count

The Count tells him that he hates him for putting him in a "hole." Oliver barely hears him as the Count tells him that there's someone else out there who hates him too. Oliver needs to get this moving along so he can get Felicity out of there. "What do you want?"

"This!" The Count shouts and pulls a gun out to shoot him. Oliver barely makes it away and behind the couch. He doesn't even feel that a bullet has grazed him. He hears the Count cutting Felicity loose. Knowing he would be momentarily distracted, Oliver uses his retractable rappelling arrow to get up into the high ceilings. He needs to gain an advantage. He sees the Count make his way to behind the couch in the hopes of shooting him again. He's holding Felicity by her ponytail. The anger is screaming inside of him. How dare he touch her! Oliver can see the tears streaming down her face. He quickly jumps down and draws an arrow.

"So now we move on to plan B!" The Count says as he drops his gun and pulls out a double syringe filled with yellow liquid. Oliver knows it's Vertigo. With Felicity's size and the amount of the dosage, Oliver knows that she'll die within minutes of being injected if he can't stop this.

"Oliver don't! Not for me," Felicity cries.

"Quiet please! I'm threatening. Lower your bow," the Count says.

Oliver thinks oh God, he can't lose her! His heart pounds in his ears loudly and he's breathing heavily. He lowers his bow slowly and throws his arrow down. "Your problem is with me. It's not with her."

"Then consider this your penalty for making me go to plan B in the first place," the Count sneers and draws his hand back to gain momentum for the syringe.

In that split second, Oliver watches the scene unfold in front of him as if it were happening in slow motion. The rage he felt since receiving the call quickly bubbled up inside of him. He has to be faster than that syringe. He knew he was faster. Before he knows it, he has an arrow in his hand and is releasing it with his bow. He hands have a mind of their own. Without even realizing it, he puts two more arrows into the Count's chest in rapid succession. The force of the arrows are forcing him backwards through the window and to the street below. He quickly disappears from Oliver's sight. 

He quickly walks over to where Felicity sits on the floor. Temporarily in a state of shock, Felicity looks up and into his eyes. When she realizes Oliver is kneeling in front of her, her face softens. He tells her she's safe and the feel of his hand on her cheek is warm and comforting. Looking to his arm, she sees blood.

"Oh, you're shot," she whispers and puts her hand near the wound.

"It's nothing," he says and lightly shakes his head. He feels himself getting lost in her eyes and is suddenly very afraid of what he feels for her. He wants to take her in his arms and kiss her so badly. He knows he has to get up and move before he does something that he won't be able to take back. So he gets up and walks over the window. Looking down, he sees the Count's body lying across a vehicle in the street twenty stories below. Knowing he needs to get back to the courthouse, he turns around. Felicity is already standing.

"Go, I'll take care of it," she says. 

Arriving back at the courthouse in just under two hours from when he left, Oliver still could not stop shaking. Striding into the atrium, he turns to Thea. "Any news?"

"Where have you been?' She asks in the exasperation.

"Something happened at Queen Consolidated and you will see it on the news later. Don't worry about," he says.

"What would you have done if there had been a verdict?" She asks.

"Thea...I don't know," he whispers with uncertainty. His breath is coming fast and his eyes are dark.

Thea knows her brother well and doesn't miss the crazed look in his eyes or the fact that he's shaking. She immediately knows something is wrong, but misreads his agitation for fear of what may happen to their mother. She puts her hand on his arm, not realizing his wound, and asks out of concern "Are you ok?"

Oliver shakes his head and opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. What can he say? That he almost lost one of the most important people in his life? There would be questions. Thea would be confused. Confusion only leads to more questions. More questions lead to the Arrow. They quickly get called back into the courthouse for their mother's verdict. His mother is found not guilty. It's happy news for him and his family, but the only image he has in his head are frightened blue eyes behind square glasses. He feels no remorse for killing the Count. He decides to go back to the Foundry to check on her and Diggle. He needs to make absolutely sure she's ok.

Diggle assures him he's better and Felicity proudly announces Queen Consolidated's Applied Science Department was able to develop a non-addictive treatment to the new Vertigo. Just as he's about to head out after Diggle leaves, Felicity calls him back to thank him, and to apologize. He's confused, and he looks at her with questioning eyes. She has no reason to apologize to him for anything. "For what?" He asks. 

"I got myself into trouble again and you killed him. You killed again and I'm sorry that I was the one who put you in a position where you had to make that kind of choice," she said.

She's feeling guilty? There is no way in hell he is going to let her feel guilty. Putting his hand in hers, Oliver looks into her eyes and says, "Felicity...he had you and he was going to hurt you. There was no choice to make."

Oliver turns to leave and thinks to himself there will never be a choice to make for someone he loves.


End file.
